Irratic Behavior
by TheLadyIntegra
Summary: Rula has lived the past few years of her life in total isolation, having never met another human being besides her adoptive mother, who is now dead. When a crashed Wraith dart breaks through the sad monotony of her life, and she becomes acquainted with Todd, things take a drastic turn. Contains Atlantis, prejudice, mistrust, childish devotion and whatever Todd's up to.
1. Chapter 1: Humanity Found

Hello there. I've been an avid fan of Todd the Wraith for many years, and finally I've decided to write a bit for him. Unfortunately, I've always been attracted to Todd because of the mystery behind him, so I will probably not be writing anything here from his point of view. If you're looking for an in-depth view of the inner workings of his mind, I'd say this isn't for you. I don't quite feel qualified to write the mind of a 10,000 year old being. This will be a character study of sorts, but from the views of my OC and the various characters from Atlantis. I find it far more interesting, personally, when you can't quite pin down his reasoning or motives. Makes him far more creepy and intriguing anyway.

If you're happy with that, then please go ahead and enjoy. I sort of intend to stick with cannon, with a few obvious changes and twists thanks to my OC, and this story starts shortly after the season 5.08 episode 'The Queen'. The Atlantis crew should have a heavy role in the story, since I love those guys too.

Please review :)

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**Chapter One: Humanity Found.**

Her life had been so simple, bordering on the animalistic these past few years. It seemed so long ago that she had been in the company of her beloved mother. The woman who claimed to have no biological stake on her, and yet had isolated the pair of them simply to save her - a child of a close friend. Beloved mother had taught her so much in their time together - what else was there to do on a barren rock, with only their inoperable shuttle as shelter from the harsh climate, but talk? - but she was gone and life had become the endless drudgery of finding food and avoiding the planet's natural predators.

'Rula', beloved mother had named her. She had said it was the name of a powerful goddess who was cast out of her throne by traitors. Rula had been forced to live a life of squalor and fear, and isolation. Rula had once been a conceited, ruthless Goddess, but her exile taught her the valuable life lessons that allowed her to return to her people in secret, and gain their love as she never had before. With her subjects behind her, Rula reclaimed her throne and even showed mercy to the people who had cast her out, having seen the error of her ways. She became the most beloved of all deities.

Mother had told her that as the Goddess had been able to return to her people and be embraced with love, so too would she one day have a home. She had many times pointed to the stars and told her that somewhere out there, her place in the galaxy awaited her. Rula had never understood why she would want to return to the people - no, to the man - who had wanted to cast her aside simply for her gender.

Her father...on some days she had felt the stabbing pain of rejection, been convinced that if he had been allowed to know her he would have loved her as much as any son. Her beloved mother had spat at these times that her father was an evil man, willing to kill his daughter if only to rise through the ranks of the military faster. And the woman who had birthed her had been too cowardly to take responsibility herself, placing the burden on a friend and leaving her with nothing but a letter for the child and a stolen ship. Her beloved mother had never voiced her resentment, but Rula had seen it upon occasion. The bitter tears cried for a life lost. Their escape had been discovered, and their ship had been shot down. They had been denied a chance at a new life away from their people, instead crash landing on this barely habitable planet.

Beloved mother had died several years ago, succumbing to the poison of a night crawler that had bitten her. The furry little scavenger was not the at all the most dangerous creature they had to contend with, and yet her beloved mother had died from its bite nonetheless. Rula had been left alone on the planet, in their crashed ship, heartbroken beyond feeling as the years went by. Convinced that her destiny was to die, alone, without ever seeing another face or hearing another voice. The letter from the woman who birthed her became an item that she carried on her person at all times, sometimes spending days doing nothing but reading through the words, trying to imagine another voice saying them to her.

Years went by and she felt the lessons that her beloved mother had taught her slipping away - the intense love that had consumed her flickering out and leaving her cold inside. Beloved mother had said that she had never known another person with such compassion and fierce empathy in their hearts. Rula was occasionally sad when she realized that, from lack of necessity, these emotions had left her. Who was there to love and care for? She had often as a child attempted to make friends with the wildlife, but there was very little on the planet that wouldn't snap at your fingers if you got too close.

She was alone with nothing to live for and she had long since ceased to cry. Every day became nothing but a hunt for food and occasionally a fight with a predator. Rula was small, but she had developed a wiry strength and agility that made her adept at killing, or at the very least escaping the beasts. She had no fear holding her back - death certainly didn't frighten her when life had so little meaning - and she had become a creature of instinct.

But when the day came where a terrifying crash awoke her from her slumber, and she glanced wide-eyed out the window to see a trail of smoke in the distance, rising into the bright blue sky - that was the day when Rula's humanity re-awoke.


	2. Chapter 2: Alien loveliness

**Chapter One: Alien Loveliness**

She had never seen anything like him.

The large, alien creature lay on her bed, which was nothing more than a bundle of animal pelts. Rula sat cross legged on the metal floor beside him, absently dabbing his forehead with a wet cloth.

The explosion had brought about a sense of fear and excitement she hadn't felt in years. The smoke, the terrifying sound of the impact - all things that broke the monotony of her life in a way nothing ever had before. When she had arrived at the scene to find a small crater, the sight of the ship inside it causing her heart to skip a beat momentarily. Rula had never heard of - never seen anything like the deep purple ship. It's pointed nose had seemingly pinned it into the earth before it keeled over onto its side and lay, like a broken animal, its guts spilled around it in the form of debris. She had begun to circle the crash site in awe before she froze.

There, a few feet away from the edge of the crater, lay a figure. A humanoid figure.

Rula had never felt anything close to the emotions the sight of him brought. She began to tremble, her shaking hands desperately fisting into her shirt. Unbidden, tears began to streak down her dirt-stained face, and she felt her throat clench in panic. Another person. Here. With her. Another face, another voice. Someone to speak to and learn about and look after.

She took a terrified step forward. And then another. And then broke into a flat sprint, falling to her knees at his side. Her trembling hands hovered over his form, unwilling to touch him for fear that he would disappear. He lay face down, sprawled in the dirt, his arms around his head in a manner that suggested he had crawled from the crashed ship. His figure was huge, covered in dusty black leather, tangled silvery hair splayed around his head.

A delicate finger traced over his shoulder, attempting to clean away the dust but instead coming away with a sticky black substance that made her whimper. Some of the animals she had encountered had black blood. She recognized it when she saw it. Eyes wide in terror, she forced the man to roll over, gasping and momentarily drawing back at the sight of his face. She had never seen such alien features before, or the ghostly pale greyish-green skin. She hesitated for a moment, every warning her beloved mother had ever given her should she encounter other humans playing through her mind, her voice ringing with a clarity that had she had thought long gone.

But how could she leave the first person she had seen in so many years alone to die? What was the point of living safely if her life would continue the way it was? She stroked a calloused hand down the side of his smooth cheek, mouth contorted in grief.

"Please don't die," she whispered, her voice hoarse from misuse, "Please."

She got to her feet, grabbing him under the arms and beginning to drag his large, heavy form back to her ship. It took her a long time to get him back, and she managed with grunts and clenched teeth, but eventually she was pulling him up the ramp to her shuttle, through the door and depositing him on her bunk.

A while later she had retrieved a bucket of water, a cloth, the crushed poultice that she had learned to make for injuries and several strips of clothe that would serve as bandages. The man was, thankfully, still alive. But his shallow, whistling breath didn't bode well. She began the arduous task of stripping him of his thick leather clothes. Once he lay completely naked, she turned her attention to the many black stains she could see marring his smooth pale skin. The tears had ceased as she furrowed her brows, a powerful determination she hadn't felt in years causing her mind to go wonderfully blank as she began assessing his injuries. He had what appeared to be a spear lodged in his shoulder, the barbed tip protruding menacingly. He had obviously snapped off the back, a task that must have been excruciatingly painful. She bit her lip in sympathy, unable to stop herself from admiring what must have been incredible bravery on his part.

She made sure to clean around his shoulder, removing any excess dirt that could get into the wound. Then she began the task of pulling the spear tip through his flesh. She almost stepped back when his face contorted in agony and his lips curled upwards in a snarl, revealing horribly sharp, needle-like teeth, but she forced herself to continue, comforted when he didn't open his eyes.

Once the spear was removed, leaving a gaping hole spilling more of his black blood. She cleared as much away as she could before applying the poultice generously to both sides of the wound and wrapping him up heavily in the bandages. The poultice was made from several plants that her beloved mother had experimented with for their antiseptic properties, observing the way the wildlife used them when injured.

His other injuries included two large pieces of shrapnel piercing his stomach and leg, likely from the crash. They joined the spearhead on the floor, followed by several smaller shards scattered along his body. The poultice barely lasted through all the injuries by the time she was through, but she successfully bandaged him up and proceeded to clean at the dust and grime on him with a fresh bucket of water and cloth, leisurely examining his body as she did so.

Her beloved mother had explained how men were different, but she had never mentioned _how_ different. He was tall and lean, with hard, but not bulky muscles. His shoulders were broad, his waist narrow and his arms and legs long and strong. She had peered curiously at the appendage between his legs, fondling it for a moment before releasing it when it caused his leg to twitch alarmingly. His hands and feet were odd as well, with long, finely boned fingers and toes and sharp, animal-like black claws. The more Rula observed, the more certain she was becoming that he was not a human at all. As she cleaned his back and buttocks, she wondered at the hard, upraised ridges on his spine. They made his slender back look beautiful though.

Beautiful. Yes, she thought with a smile after she had washed and dried his clothes and replaced them on him as best she could without hurting his wounds. Yes, that was an apt description for him, human or not. She wiped away at the dirt on his face, gently removing the dust that had gathered in the odd pits on his sharp cheekbones. He had gaunt features, with an oddly flat nose and slightly hollow cheeks and eyes, with hard frown lines between his hairless brows. But the severity of his features, coupled with his long silver hair and the starburst tattoo over his left eye only made him seem more lovely.

Perhaps she had simply spent too much time without seeing another face, she mused with a fond smile. She already felt as though she could watch him forever, enchanted by the sound of another person's breathing.

She passed the time later by dragging a wet comb through his hair, easing out the dried blood and filth. Besides the hair on his head and the chin, he had no others on his body. His hair was nearly unmanageable, and she had to be gentle, mindful on the small cuts on his scalp. Eventually though, she had cleaned him off completely, and he lay like a pale angel on her bed. She knelt by his side for hours, fascinated by everything about him, tracing her fingers over his face, stroking his brow, gently laying her head over his chest and listening to the slow, but steady beat of his heart.

She hadn't felt such happiness and contentment in so many years. She climbed over the bed and lay beside him, taking his uninjured arm into her own and placing her forehead against his shoulder, she curled into his body, desperately clinging to him. She wouldn't even entertain the thought that he wouldn't make it. Soon, he would awaken, and she would make sure she was never alone again.


	3. Chapter 3: A Poor Choice

**Chapter 3: A Poor Choice**

Rula awoke slowly, blinking away the blurry vision and sleep that clouded her eyes. With a soft huff, she rolled over away from the ships wall, feeling the need to relieve herself. When she hit something that shared the bed with her with a soft thud, she froze.

Memory of the previous day flooded her mind, and Rula was immediately flushed with excitement. She grinned at the pair of legs that she had rolled onto, before frowning. Slowly, her gaze traveled upwards, until she found herself meeting a pair of cold, predatory yellow eyes. She yelped and scuttled backwards, her back meeting the wall at the foot of the bunk, staring wide eyed at her guest, who had propped himself up into a sitting position on the opposite wall, hands folded simply in his lap, and had apparently been watching her sleep.

A brief, tense moment passed where the pair of them simply watched one another. Rula swallowed thickly, drawing her legs up to her chest, suddenly feeling naked in the face of his alien gaze. She studied his features once more, wide eyed and startled, and yet unable to deny the flutter of joy at not being alone.

It seemed like ages before his lips quirked slightly into what might have been a smile, and he almost seemed to purr, in a strange, dual-toned voice, "Hello."

Rula blinked in shock, her mouth gaping open slightly. A voice, an odd, beautiful voice, spoken directly to her. Suddenly it was hard not to begin crying once more, and she forced herself to speak around the lump in her throat, tightening the arms around her legs in a form of self-comfort.

"He-" She flushed at the terrible sound of her voice. Face contorting in shame she cleared her throat and tried again, "Hello."

He tilted his head, eyes narrowed in what she assumed was amusement, "Am I to understand that you are the one who attended to my injuries?"

Not trusting herself to speak again, she simply nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from his. She felt almost humiliated - her first encounter with another person and she couldn't even bring herself to speak.

He didn't seem perturbed, however, as he inclined his head to her, "I am most grateful, madam. I believe I can safely say that were it not for your help, I would not have survived."

This time she flushed for a different reason, shaking her head and staring at him imploringly, "I couldn't let you die!"

He quirked one of his hairless brows, uttering a soft, breathy chuckle under his breath. The sound was mesmerizing, "Is that so? I have never met a human with quite so much conviction regarding the well being of a Wraith."

She frowned, slowly relaxing and leaning forward slightly, "So you're not human?"

Her question seemed to startle him, and his hands twitched in his lap,"You do not know?"

Rula shook her head, beginning to become enthused with the act of conversation - it had been so very long! "I've been on this planet since I was a baby with my mother. I've never seen anyone else."

This seemed to surprise him further, "Really now? And where is your mother?"

"Gone." Rula replied simply, "Years ago. I've been on my own since."

He seemed sympathetic, "Ahh, isolation is a terrible fate, particularly for one so young. I take it then that your ship is incapable of travel?"

"We crashed into the planet. It hasn't had any power at all since then."

He frowned, "A pity then. And your mother never explained the existence of the Wraith to you, my dear?"

Rula shook her head, "No, sorry."

Her reply caused him to burst into rich laughter. She stared in shock until he silenced and sent her an amused grin, "Forgive me, but I find it amusing. Human, apologizing to Wraith."

She grinned tentatively, "Oh." There was a pause before she continued, confused, "How come?"

This seemed to sober him, and his expression turned sombre, "It is a long story, but I'm afraid I cannot spare you the reality of my nature just yet, as much as I would like to."

"I don't understand."

"You will in a moment. But first I must ask you, human, why you decided to help me."

"Rula," She blurted, "My name is Rula."

He made no response, watching her patiently. She fidgeted, "I've been alone for so long. I thought I was going to die without ever meeting another person. After a while I didn't even feel sadness...I just felt empty, like an animal. I did what I had to do to survive, but I don't even know why. I didn't really want to live anymore."

Something in his expression shifted, and she noted absently the hands in his lap clenching until his knuckles went pale. She continued on hastily, "But then I saw you yesterday, and I felt so happy and afraid and excited. I thought maybe I wouldn't be alone anymore. The thought of you dieing made me feel so scared, but the thought of you living gave me so much hope and joy." She shrugged, "That's why. I didn't want to be alone anymore."

There was a long silence, and he did nothing but watch her, with an inscrutable expression on his wax-like face.

"Rula," He said eventually, and she shivered slightly at the sound of her name on his tongue. He drew out the syllables, almost hissing them, "I believe I can arrange for you to never be alone again. You see, there are..." He paused before smirking, "Friends of mine who have the tiresome habit of taking stray humans into their home. You would be quite happy there."

She jerked, staring at him with wide eyes, "Wha- but how? Your ship is broken, isn't it?"

He nodded absently, "Oh yes, quite broken. But I believe I can repair the communications sufficiently to contact the Lanteans."

Rula gasped, "The Lanteans!" She exclaimed in excitement, grabbing hold of his ankle.

He laughed quietly, "I see your mother told you about them? Well, you might be disappointed. They are only humans occupying the Lantean's city."

"Atlantis?" She whispered in awe.

"Indeed."

Rula squealed clapping her hands together, "You can really contact them?"

He nodded, "I believe so. But first, Rula, you must do something for me."

She nodded, "Anything!"

He seemed to sigh, "A poor choice of words, my dear."

And then he lunged for her.


	4. Chapter 4: Best Interests

**Chapter Four: Best Interests**

Rula had never before felt such pain. The Wraith's hand slammed into her chest with brutal force, shoving her against the shuttle wall and causing her head to smack onto the hard surface with a sickening crack. The feeling of barbed knives sinking into her chest were dulled by the confusion of her head injury, her vision swimming, she was slack jawed and confused, staring into the two yellow orbs that were the only things that remained clear. The Wraith knelt on the bed, looming over her and pinning her down completely. She barely had time to draw breath before his upper lips curled back in a snarl, and there was nothing but agony.

Rula became distantly aware that she was screaming, and tears were pouring down her face. Her hands had come up to grip his wrist, desperately attempting to pry off the hand that was causing her such horror. But her strength was leaving her, her limbs slackening, her eyes falling shut. The Wraith was snarling as if in pain as well.

As suddenly as it had started, it stopped. The hand tore from her chest, ripping her flesh. Without his support, she slumped over, arm hanging limply off the bed. Rula curled in on herself, her limbs spasming occasionally. She gasped for air, barely able to breath through the tears and water dripping from her nose. She heard him climb off of the bed to stand beside her. She rolled her eyes up to look at him.

She let out a pained whimper when his hand reached out to gently roll her onto her back, giving her a better view of him. He watched her silently for a moment, eyes raking over her tear-stained face, pausing for a moment on the bloody wound in her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before looking back up at him. What had just happened? Why had he done that?

"Forgive me," He eventually said, eyes once again meeting hers, "If it had been possible to avoid that, I would have. But your efforts with my injuries did nothing but stabilize me momentarily. Without this, I would have died before help could ever reach us."

Rula felt incapable of registering his words, her vision swimming nauseatingly, unable to focus on his face. The pain in her body was too bad to allow comprehension just then.

"H-hurts," She whispered, clutching a hand to her chest. He sighed, tilting his head at her.

"I know. I took slightly more from you then I had intended. Your body will need time to heal from the trauma before we can travel to my ship." He brushed away the hair that had matted over her face, his claws scratching over her skin, "Rest. I will not harm you again, I swear it."

With that he turned away and began idly examining the interior of her ship, poking and prodding at the long dead controls, examining compartments. Rula lay still on the bed, unable to move without feeling a terrible, protesting pain throughout her muscles. But she was unwilling to continue watching him, so she forced herself to roll over onto her stomach, away from him. It was a welcome reprieve from the harsh pain in the back of her head, which seemed to have left a loud, painful ringing in her ears.

It wasn't moments later before she felt fingers prodding the back of her scalp, and she flinched in fright and pain, clenching her still tearing eyes shut. She hadn't heard him approach, but he seemed to be examining her head.

"You are bleeding here. I was too violent with you." Rula gasped as his finger prodded the wrong spot, and she barely registered how she pulled herself to the edge of the bed and became violently sick, barely missing his scuffed back boots.

She made no protest as his arms lifted her back into the bed, on her stomach. He sat beside her, clawed fingers gently stroking her spine. In her addled state, she found it immensely soothing.

"You are likely suffering from a concussion." He huffed, "This is an annoying inconvenience, particularly as it was of my own making. The worst of it should pass in a few hours. It was not a serious impact - your symptoms have merely been exacerbated by the feeding."

She was barely able to comprehend what he was saying, the gentle motion over her spine too much for her to remain lucid. She felt so confused, as if none of what had happened were real. She decided to voice this opinion out loud.

"S'alright. S'not real," She slurred. The stroking stopped, much to her disappointment.

"What?" He asked curiously.

"S'just a nigh'mere." She replied breathily. She heard another of his soft little chuckles, as he resumed his petting.

"It must certainly seem so. But rest assured, your assistance will be well-rewarded. I will return what I took from you once I am returned to my hive, and you quality of life will drastically improve once you are moved to Atlantis."

She heard him sigh and say absently, "This was in both of our best interests." before her mind drifted away into sleep.


End file.
